Golden Eagle softball team's 2013 fall slate unwrapped

Sep 11, 2013

By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball
team’s fall campaign is right around the corner, as the
Golden Eagles prepare to jump into a schedule that promises to
prepare them for the upcoming 2014 season. Highlighted by three
home affairs and a trip to the defending College World Series
runner-up in the University of Tennessee, Tech has plenty to look
forward to in this year’s fall slate.

“I think we have a wide variety of different talent levels
on the schedule, from some really good NAIA schools right on up to
UT who was in the championship of the World Series last
year,” head coach Bonnie Bynum said on this fall’s
outlook. “I’m excited about who we are playing and,
more importantly, getting our players some experience, especially
the new ones.”

TTU welcomes eight newcomers, all of them freshmen, who are
expected to make their debut on Saturday, Sept. 21 for a
doubleheader against Georgia Highlands College at Tech Softball
Field. Of the eight, Bynum anticipates catcher Alyssa Richards and
pitcher Danielle Liberatore to make their presence known early.

“Alyssa is probably going to be a pretty big impact
player, and we are looking for pretty big things from her,”
Bynum claimed. “Danielle is a lefty that I think is going to
contribute a lot. Overall, I’m definitely excited for really
all the freshmen, but I think those two are going to make a pretty
big impact right away.”

After the initial twinbill in late September, Tech will set
their sights on a busy week in early October. Thursday, Oct. 3
marks the team’s next home tilt, a matchup with Motlow State,
before the Golden Eagles take aim at four games in two days on
Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6.

TTU travels to Centre College in Danville, Ky. for the quartet
of games.

Clashes with Campbellsville University and Lindsey Wilson
College are ones to keep an eye on in terms of the good NAIA teams
Bynum referred to earlier, as Campbellsville compiled a 43-17 2012
record, and Lindsey Wilson ended last year 50-10 with a spot in the
NAIA National Championship.

“I think it will be good for our girls to get to play
other teams,” Bynum said. “It will give us a chance to
see how our team gels as a unit. It will challenge us in ways that
we can’t get out of just practicing.”

The fall schedule wraps up on Friday, Oct. 11, with a trip to
Knoxville to play the defending College World Series runner-up in
UT.

“Of course they are one of the best teams in the country,
but we don’t really worry about who we are playing, we just
worry about what we want to do,” Bynum said on playing a
school of that caliber. “It’s really about getting our
new players’ feet wet and getting the first jitters out of
the way so come spring they have played in a few games in college
and know what it’s about. For our older players, it’s
making sure that they are running everything smoothly and are
getting our techniques and our system that we want to implement and
carry into the spring.”